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Tree man ready for Christmas Day vigil

LEE RONDGANGER, The West AustralianDecember 15, 2009, 7:15 am

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WA NEWS / Astrid Volzke ©

Thornlie man Richard Pennicuik, who has been living in a gum tree outside his home as part of a one-man protest to stop the council from cutting it down, said he planned to spend Christmas in the tree.

"It is not something I want to do, but I will if I have to," a defiant Mr Pennicuik said yesterday.

Mr Pennicuik, 57, who was preparing to spend his eighth night in the tree, turned down another offer by the City of Gosnells for a private meeting to end the feud yesterday.

"I don't want a private meeting with them," he said. "This is not the Dark Ages, if they want to talk they can come right here and we can have a chat. I am not going to be bought."

Mr Pennicuik took up residency in the tree last Monday in a last-ditch effort to save the tree.

Bill Beckenham, who lives in the area, said he was concerned for people's safety if the tree was not cut down.

"If a car passed by and a tree fell on it, people could be seriously injured," he said. "I don't support what he is doing."

Therese Keeley, 21, and her sisters Laura and Elise travelled from Mt Claremont to deliver a plate of cupcakes to show their support.

Mr Pennicuik said he would only come down the tree if the council gave him a commitment in writing that it would be saved.

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Gosnells tree drops one-tonne limb

15/Dec/2009

By Jaime Shurmer, Comment News

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FEARS for public safety have been reignited after a 12m branch fell from a eucalyptus melliadora in a Gosnells street on Sunday.

The tree is the same species of gum that Thornlie man Richard Pennicuik has been seeking to protect for the past week.

Mr Pennicuik climbed into the gum tree in Hume Road last Monday, while contractors moved in to cut down 20 other gums along the street as part of a five-year strategy to rid the city of dangerous or damaged trees.

The strategy was finalised after a branch weighing over a tonne fell onto Hume Road in February last year.

The 12m branch is expected to be removed by the council's staff today.

City chief executive Ian Cowie said the latest incident was an example of why the trees were being replaced.

“As the City keeps saying, eucalyptus melliadora are unsuitable for street verges because they are dangerous,” he said.

“We are relieved no serious damage was done when this latest limb drop occurred. It is estimated the latest limb weighed in excess of a tonne.”

Mr Pennicuik has refused to get down from the tree, despite the council offering him a private meeting with the chief executive and a mediator.

He is seeking a guarantee that the tree will be retained.

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